Want to increase your recurring monthly revenue (RMR), expand your market, and reduce your expenses? DMP introduces Internet monitoring. Now you can monitor and remote program your accounts over the Internet citywide, nationwide, or worldwide. UL-AA approved, and only available from DMP. For information about Internet monitoring or other DMP products contact DMP Customer Service at (800) 641-4282 or visit our web site at www.dmpnet.com.
DMP is featured in this excerpt from the editorial focus of the May 2000 issue of Security Systems News:
Look out folks, it's almost here. Well, technically, it is here. Alarm transmission over the Internet is up and running in a handful of central stations scattered across the country. And while the bulk of the security monitoring industry remains somewhat skeptical about the Net's reliability and security, proponents of this technology are as bullish about Internet alarm transmissions as stock market day traders are on IPOs. "It's working fabulously," says Perry Allen, president of Allen Alarm Company in Los Angeles. His company has transmitted alarm signals over the Internet from California to Costa Rica, and in all cases, Allen says, transmission occurred in four seconds. Alarm transmissions through the traditional modes of telephone lines, radio frequency, or cellular take from 30 to 60 seconds. Allen Alarms has offered alarm transmission through the Internet for the past four months. An installer as well as a central station operator, the company monitors 7,500 accounts in California, and currently about 40 of its customers have their alarms monitored through the Internet. "It has so many advantages," Allen contends. In addition to virtually instant alarm transmission, the Internet greatly reduces central station telephone costs, eliminates customers' dedicated telephone lines, and creates opportunities to provide end users with other Internet-based services. Internet security, or the lack of it, is not an issue for Allen. Internet alarm transmission is not likely to be tampered with through web vandalism, called "hacking," because alarm transmission requires dedicated IP addresses, and with alarm transmission, "specific bits of information are so small, it's almost impossible to hack," he says. Allen also points out that the Internet alarm transmission qualifies for UL-AA security rating, which requires response to a transmission failure within six minutes. Allen uses a panel and receiver made by Digital Monitoring Products (DMP). "Their equipment lets us know within one minute if we have a failure." So far, Allen has experienced no system failures via the Internet. WEB TRANSMISSION NOW David Roberts, DMP's network sales manager, explains that his company provides "add-on network modules" to make its alarm panels and receivers compatible with the Internet. Currently, DMP, based in Springfield, Mo., is using this technology with a few central stations sprinkled throughout the country. Some are in the testing phase and some, such as Allen Alarm, are transmitting alarm signals live over the Internet. DMP's technology has been available for about two years, and one of its largest customers is Wells Fargo Bank which uses the technology on its own Intranet system. "This system is more secure than (traditional transmission over) phone lines," Roberts maintains. Supervision protocol is built into both the panel and the receiver. The receiving unit sends out a signal to the alarm panel, and with "reverse polling," DMP's panel initiates communicating to the receiver. "It reduces the amount of traffic on the network and takes less bandwidth to provide supervision," Roberts explains.
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Internet Fast Facts: The number of Internet households increased from 14.9 million in 1995 to 46.5 million today. 48% of U.S. Households have Internet access. U.S. Households with Internet access will nearly double to 90 million by 2004. Altogether, business and household projections estimate there will be a combined total of 171 million Internet users by 2004.
Source: © 2000, The Strategis Group. All rights reserved. (202) 530-7500